Big 12 Chief Labels Notre Dame Comments Following CFP Omission as ‘Completely Out of Bounds’
At a public criticism, Big 12 Conference commissioner stated that Notre Dame AD, Pete Bevacqua, was “completely out of bounds” for his remarks targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Controversy
Notre Dame has a football scheduling alliance with the ACC and is a participating member in other sports. Bevacqua has claimed that the ACC hurt Notre Dame’s opportunities to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to advocating for the selection of the University of Miami.
“They do great things for Notre Dame, but we offer substantial football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would make an effort to try to undermine us in this selection,” Bevacqua said.
The Hurricanes ultimately secured the CFP spot over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the direct matchup between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC ran a targeted social media push over several weeks demonstrating its support for Miami.
An Egregious Reaction
Subsequently on Tuesday, the Big 12 commissioner addressed the comments at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“In my view his behavior has been unacceptable,” Yormark said. “He is totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The criticism is especially significant given Bevacqua’s special role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Speculative Moves
The commissioner further remarked the assistance the ACC gave Notre Dame in the Covid-affected 2020 season, providing the Irish a full ACC schedule and a place in its title game.
“It has been unacceptable,” Yormark reiterated. “It’s been egregious going after the ACC commissioner, when they helped Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had circulated about Notre Dame potentially leaving the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, the commissioner's public reprimand on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership highly improbable in the near term.
Notre Dame, who reached the CFP final last season, have stated they plan to decline a bowl game after missing out this year.
